Multi-player, word-puzzle game played competitively as a contest over an electronic network

ABSTRACT

The invention embodies the systems, processes and methods that collectively administrate and deliver to players a multi-player game in which the players solve a word puzzle and compete against other players for how easily and quickly they solve the puzzle. 
     The game is presented to the players as a matrix of interlocking blank boxes and a list of words or phrases (keys). The keys fit into the matrix in some predetermined fashion. The player must determine the correct orientation of the keys on the puzzle in order to finish the game. Through trial and error the player places the keys into the boxes until the player finds an orientation that fits the puzzle. The player&#39;s score is the elapsed time it takes to solve the puzzle adjusted for any clues that are provided. The winner of the game is the player with the lowest score. 
     The game can be used in a variety of advertising and promotional contexts and also can support on-line gaming for prizes. 
     The advertising applications of the game are compelling because the words of the keys in the game can be selected such that they reinforce a marketing message. Businesses can customize games and offer prizes to the winner. The players repetitively manipulate the keys while playing the game and, in so doing, the players become more familiarized with the intended marketing message. 
     The features of the game overcome several of the challenges to on-line competitive gaming by providing a quick, fair, skills-based game that is neither gambling, lottery or sweepstakes and is relatively impervious to cheating.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/203,492 filed on Dec. 24, 2008 by these inventors.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The relevance of the invention is in the field of advertising, marketingand promotion where the game is used to reinforce the assimilation ofbusiness branding and messages by forcing the player to repetitivelymanipulate a series of key words and phrases (keys) in an effort to findthe correct orientation of the keys in a given puzzle. By playing thegame, the players are exposed to deliberately crafted messages andrepetition of the messages through repetitively manipulating the keys,enhances the mental imprint and retention of those messages.

The invention is also applicable to training and education wherememorization of key words and key phrases (keys) is enhanced as they arerepetitively placed into the puzzle by the players. An example would bea puzzle made up of the names of US Presidents as a fun learning aid tomemorizing President's names.

Finally the game is applicable as entertainment. The nature of the gamelends itself to contests for prizes since the duration is quick andmultiple players can play the same game in a competitive way over ashared communications medium such as the internet.

Sponsoring an electronic, interactive, competitive game is fraught withchallenges. Some of those challenges include;

-   -   1. Enabling play for prizes without being classified as a        lottery, gambling or sweepstakes. To avoid these classifications        requires an element of skill as the determinant of a winner.    -   2. Enabling users to begin play at a time that is convenient to        them so as to cater to a massive target audience.    -   3. Preventing collusion where one player learns the game and        then instructs another player on how to win.    -   4. Fairness whereby each player is faced with an equal        challenge. This is necessary if playing for prizes so to defend        against lawsuits from disgruntled losers.    -   5. Being simple, quick and of universal appeal so as to attract        a wide audience.    -   6. Thwarting the use of automation by players who would use        automation to gain a competitive advantage.

This invention overcomes the challenges above by providing a simple andfair, skills-based game that can be administered over a sharedelectronic medium for prizes. The game is started at the convenience ofthe player yet it is relatively impervious to collusion.

On-line gaming for prizes can be restricted by legislation that governsgambling and sweepstakes. Both of these restrictions are related to theelement of “chance” in a given contest. The features of this inventionaddress the restrictions against on-line contests because winning isbased on skill rather than chance. As a result the invention overcomesrestrictive laws related to gambling and sweepstakes. The game can beplayed on-line for prizes since it is neither gambling nor a sweepstake.

Another complication of on-line competitive gaming is that thecomputer-enabled players can utilize technology to cheat. In most kindsof on-line competitive games, players must compete simultaneouslyotherwise they can learn from each other, maintain multiple playeridentities, utilize screenshots and take advantage of other techniquesto cheat the system. This invention enables each player to be presentedwith a unique puzzle (orientation of keys) that is essentially the samegame (same set of keys). Each player is presented with essentially thesame challenge and the contest, therefore, has an acceptable measure offairness but is difficult to cheat. Therefore, the game can be startedat each player's convenience at any time over an extended period oftime.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Each player is presented with a unique, randomly generated,inter-locking matrix of empty blocks and a list of words and phrases(keys). The keys must be inserted in the correct orientation within theblank matrix in order to solve the puzzle. A timer measures how long ittakes the player to finish the puzzle. Players can ask for clues tosolve the puzzle and their score is penalized when they do so. Theplayer that completes the puzzle with the lowest score wins the game.

A unique aspect of the game is that a given set of keys can be arrangedin multiple orientations. This enables a gaming environment where eachplayer is presented with a different solution (blank matrix) toessentially the same puzzle (same set of keys). Multiple players cancompete against each other for the fastest solution time without havingto start the game at the same instant. The potential for cheating isminimized because each player is playing with a different orientation ofthe keys requiring a unique solution. Therefore, players cannot copy orlearn from each other.

The words and phrases (keys) used in the game can be selected frommaterial that is relevant to some message or cause. In a typicalimplementation of the invention, the keys are specifically chosen so asto reinforce preferred behaviors, attitudes, subject matter, messages,branding and other “impressions” that a business or other entity(sponsor) would want to develop within its target audience. Byrepetitively placing these keys in the puzzle, the intended impressionsare reinforced in the player's mind. This unique aspect of the inventionmakes it particularly useful in advertising, marketing and trainingsituations where the action of repetitively manipulating the keys in anattempt to solve the puzzle reinforces deliberately chosen messages inthe player's mind.

In one manifestation of the game, a business sponsor would host the gameat an interne website. Members of the business's target market would, insome way, be encouraged to visit the website and play the game in acompetition for prizes. In the course of playing the game, players wouldbe exposed to words, themes and concepts that reinforce the messages,subject matter, branding and other impressions that the business wishesto promote among its target audience. Some examples of applicationswhere this feature would be relevant include;

-   -   A business promoting a product or service—the keys could be        selected to describe important attributes of the product or        service;    -   To stimulate the consumption of a product or service—keys could        be collected through the act of consuming a product or service;    -   Knowledge assimilation and retention for training purposes—keys        would be the words needed to be memorized or would represent        subject matter to be memorized (i.e. the names of presidents of        the United States);    -   Trade Show floor promotions—keys could be collected by        interacting with displays at a trade show and then those keys        are used to play the game;    -   Charity—A charity sponsors a game where the keys could be        related in some way to businesses who sponsor the charity;    -   Political campaign—keys would be selected to encourage voting        loyalty to a given candidate or cause;

All other examples of using this game for any purpose are claimed by theinventors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is an electronic game where a list of words or phrases(keys) is displayed alongside a matrix of interlocking squares. Theplayer attempts to fit the keys into the empty matrix. The keysintersect on the matrix at points where they share a letter.

The keys are not required to fit exactly in the squares provided. Thisadds a measure of complexity to the game in that players cannot simplycount the number of letters in a key and match that to the number ofempty boxes to determine where a key fits in the puzzle.

Not all of the keys are necessarily needed in order to solve the puzzleThis adds a measure of complexity to the game because the player mustdetermine which keys are to be used and which are to be ignored.

Clues can be requested to assist in the solution of the puzzle. Forinstance, some or all of the letters of one of the keys might berevealed in their correct orientation on the puzzle. When clues aregiven, the player's score is penalized.

The puzzle is solved when the matrix is filled with keys from the listin the correct orientation. The score is the elapsed time that theplayer takes to find a working solution adjusted for any clues that theplayer requested. The player with the lowest score wins the game.

An important component of the invention is the systems and softwarelogic that transforms a list of keys into (n×x×p) unique orientationswhere; n is the total number of available keys and x is the number ofthose keys needed to complete the puzzle and p is some statisticalfactor representing the unique interlocking orientations in which thosekeys can be arranged.

The software analyzes a list of (n) keys and generates all of thepotential interlocking orientations of a full set or sub-set of thosekeys. As an example, 10 keys could possibly generate 30,000 uniquepuzzles where each puzzle uses only 5 of the 10 given keys. Thestatistical factor (p) is directly related to the alphabetical structureof the keys, what letters they have in common that can share anintersection and the geometric constraints of the puzzle.

Since a given list of keys can generate numerous unique orientations,each player will be given the same list of keys but they each will beprovided a blank matrix which represents a different orientation of thatset of keys. In this way every player is playing a unique game (a uniqueorientation of keys) with an equal level of difficulty and fairness(same set of keys).

The game software randomly selects one of the unique orientations anddisplays on the players screen a matrix of blank squares that willaccept that orientation of keys as the solution.

The software randomly pads the matrix with additional blank squaresbefore and after each key. These blank squares mask the actual length ofthe solutions in order to enhance the complexity of the game. The playertherefore cannot match the length of a key to the number of blanks as atactic to solve the puzzle.

The player selects keys from an accompanying list and places the lettersof the keys into the blank matrix until he discovers the correctorientation of the keys.

The software accepts each attempt to solve the puzzle and evaluateswhether the player has the correct orientation of the keys. When thesoftware determines that the correct orientation of the keys has beengenerated, then the timer stops and the time is registered as theplayer's score and the player is notified that he has successfullycompleted the game.

The software stores the elapsed time of each player as well as thepenalties for any clues. At some pre-determined deadline the gameofficially ends and the player with the lowest score is declared thewinner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: Players place words and phrases (keys) onto a matrix ofinterlocking empty boxes in an attempt to determine the correctorientation of keys that fits the matrix. Not all keys are necessarilyincluded in the solution and keys do not need to fit exactly in theboxes provided. The player to complete their particular puzzle with thelowest score in declared the winner.

FIG. 2: an illustration of the software mechanism that consumes a listof words or phrases (keys) and uses those to generate (n×x×p) uniquepuzzles. An illustration of how (n) keys can generate (n×x×p) uniquepuzzles. The puzzle generation software accepts input of (n) number ofkeys.

A software algorithm generates all of the potential orientations of (x)subset of the (n) keys in an interlocking matrix where keys intersectwhere they share a letter

An algorithm pads the solution with one or more empty spaces on eitherend of the key so that a key does not necessarily fit exactly in a givenrow or column of boxes.

Multiple players compete for the best time but each player is playingwith a different orientation of boxes. When a player initiates a game,the software randomly selects one of the (n×x×p) possible orientations.

A display mechanism generates a matrix of empty squares on a player'sscreen. That matrix reflects the correct orientation of the keys. Thesoftware compares each attempt to place the keys in the correctorientation and determines whether that is the correct expectedorientation.

The software runs a timer that initiates when the puzzle is firstdisplayed to the user and stops when the player has submitted thecorrect orientation of keys.

When prompted by the player, the software will reveal clues to thecorrect orientation of the keys. The clue could be the revelation of thecorrect placement of a letter, multiple letters, a blank, multipleblanks or an entire key

FIG. 3: A definitive example of the variables “x” and “n” in theequation (n×x×p)

-   x=5 keys-   n=4 of 5 keys to be used in each puzzle-   p=a statistical representation of the potential orientation of words    such that they intersect where they share a letter-   (x×n×p)=the total number of unique puzzles that can be generated    from a given combination of keys.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Some portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The owner reserves allcopyrights whatsoever.

1. The methods and processes of a game comprising: a puzzle representedby a matrix of interlocking, empty squares; a set of words and phrases(keys); an iterative process of the player placing the words and phrasesinto the empty matrix of squares until the correct orientation of wordsand phrases is found; a scoring scheme that considers the elapsed timeto find the correct orientation of words and phrases in the matrix ofempty squares and; a scoring scheme that considers any clues that aregiven to assist the player to determine the correct orientation of wordsand phrases in the matrix of empty squares; a process to compare thefinal scores of all players to determine the winner or winners of thegame.
 2. All other applications of claim 1 where a list of keys isoriented in an interlocking matrix in order to generate (n×x×p) uniqueorientations (see FIG. 3)
 3. A method of claim 1 where more keys can begiven than there are places for them in the matrix.
 4. A method of claim1 that the keys do not have to exactly fit into the empty boxes to becorrectly oriented.
 5. A method of claim 1 where a player may requestand be given clues to help solve the puzzle.
 6. A method of claim 1where multiple players compete to earn the lowest score as calculatedfrom a combination of the elapsed time to solve the puzzle adjusted insome way by penalties for the clues needed to solve the puzzle.
 7. Amethod of claim 1 whereby players repetitively manipulate the keys inthe puzzle in an attempt to discover the correct orientation of keysthat solve the puzzle, and in so doing, the player becomes betteracquainted with a product or service or topical subject matter so thatstronger awareness and knowledge is developed toward the product,service or topical subject matter.
 8. All other examples of claim 1 usedfor entertainment, with or without prizes, are claimed by this patent.9. A system that comprises: a Game Server(s); game software that managesall of the functions of the game; a player device with a display andinput mechanism and; an electronic interconnection medium that connectsthe game server and the player device such as the internet, a broadcastsystem, a wireless network, cellular network or any other two-wayelectronic communications media.
 10. A method and system of claim 10that generates a matrix of interlocking empty boxes (puzzle) based on agiven set of (n) keys so that some subset (x) of the keys fit into theempty boxes.
 11. A system of claim 10 that generates multiple(n×x×p)unique puzzles from a given list of keys by arranging the keys inevery potential orientation on a blank field of empty boxes.
 12. Asystem of claim 10 that manages the distribution of the multiple uniquepuzzle configurations to ensure that most, if not all, players aresolving a different puzzle that was generated from the same set of keys.13. A system of claim 10 that causes the empty puzzle to be displayed onthe screen of a player device.
 14. A system of claim 10 that enables theplayer to repetitively manipulate keys into the empty boxes of thepuzzle using an input device such as keyboard or pointer until thecorrect orientation is found.
 15. A method and system of claim 10 thatdetermines if the keys have been placed into the empty matrix in thecorrect orientation.
 16. A system of claim 10 that measures the elapsedtime required to solve the puzzle.
 17. A system of claim 10 that willadjust the point value of the game as the time passes until the playercorrectly solves the puzzle.
 18. A system of claim 10 that will adjustthe point value whenever a clue is requested by a player.
 19. A systemof claim 10 that manages multiple players and their scores regardless ofwhen the players begin or finish the game or how many games they play.20. A system and method of claim 10 that enables multiple games by to beoffered to multiple players at any time.